Stamp-canceling machine



(No Movdel.)

.M. V. B, E'IIEIRIDGfE.y

STAMP GANCBLING' MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 22, 1893.

....l l 'ist INITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN POSTAL MACHINES COMPANY, OF MAINE.

STAM P-CANCELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,836, dated August 22, 1893.

` Application iiled November 9, 1892. ASerial No. 451.419. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for canceling postage stamps and post-marking letters and other pieces of mail matter, in which the letters are presented by a continuouslymoving carrier, consisting of a belt, to the meeting point of a die cylinder and an impression roll, as shown in Letters Patent No. 323,799, dated August 4, 1885, said patent showing a letter-carrier consistingr of a belt, mounted upon pulleys, the axes of which are inclined, so that the side of the belt between said pulleys constitutes an inclined moving support for the pieces of mail matter.

The present invention has for its object to provide means for accurately timing the letters so that they will be presented to the die cylinder and impression roll at a proper point with relation to the printing characters upon the die cylinder; and to this end the invention consists in a carrier or belt provided with a series of projections adapted to engage letters lying in contact with the carrier and move the same positively forward, combined with a frictional retarding device which opposes a yielding resistance to the forward movement of the letters by the carrier, so that the engagement of each letter with a projection on the carrier before the letter reaches the die cylinder is insured, the said retarding device yieldingly arresting or retarding the forward movement of each letter sufficiently to insure the bearing of the rear end of the letter upon a projection on the carrier, without obstructing the positive forward movement of the letter after it has been engaged with a projection on the carrier; all of which I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification: Figure l represents a side View of a stamp-canceling machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a top View of the same. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on line 3-3, Fig. 2, looking toward the left. Fig. 4 represents a ineditication.

Tlie same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

In the drawings: a represents the die cylinder and b the impression roll of a stampcanceling machine.

c represents the belt or carrier, which presents the letters to the die cylinder. The belt c is mounted upon rolls or pulleys, one of which is or may be the pulley b, the other being a pulley b', located at the opposite end of the frame of the machine. Under this arrangement, the pulley b serves both as a belt support and driver, and as a pressure or impression roll. to support the letter being marked, against the action of the die cylinder.

The rolls b b are mounted on inclined shafts, so that the portions of the belt intervening between said rolls are inclined in cross section, substantially as shown in the patent above mentioned, this arrangement enabling the letters to lie against the belt sufficiently to"insure the forward movement of the letters by the belt. The die cylinder is or may be rotated by means of a belt d, running from the driving-shaft to a pulley e affixed to the shaft f which carries the die cylinder. Said shaft is here shown as provided with a gear g, meshing with a gear g affixed to the shaft h which carries the roll or pulley b, so that said pulley and the belt c are driven by power communicated from the shaft of the die cylinder. I do not limit myself, however, to the above-described means for driving the die cylinder and belt or carrier, and may use any other suitable means without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a series of projections i, attached to the belt or carrier c, and adapted to bear upon the rear endof a letter resting upon the carrier, and a retarding device which will oppose the forward movement of each letter by the belt or carrier and insure the bearing of the rear end of the letter upon one of the projections fi of the carrier before the letter can reach the point Where it is acted upon by the die cylinder.

The projections 't' are preferably lugs or ICO flanges, .sui-.tablyaixed to :the :otlter'suirfa'ce rot' the belt or carriere. In Fig.1,-I-showeac`h projection as composed of two sections, separated by a space of sutcient width to receivethe die cylinder a, so that, when the projections reach thediecylinder, the fupper section g will pass above and the Tlower sect-ion .below said cylinder, thus preventing interference of the projections with the die cylinder. 4

.The retarding device is preferably a beltjg mounted on supporting pulleys k la', which-Y are arranged so that the upper surface of the' belt 7' bears upon the Ilo-wer edges #of the :let-a ters which are carried lby .the belt or 'carriera c. The belt j is driven in a direction oppo-f site-the direction of motion of .the belt c, so;l

that the belt j has a Atendency to move 'the letters backward along the surface of thebelti` c, or,'in other words., in a direction opposite,y that in which theletters are carried 'by the?. belt c. It will beseen that this tendencymf i' the `belt j insures the bearing of the rear'endf; of each .letter against a set o'f ith-e vprojectionsi i `before the letter tcan reach the 'point *where f itiisacted uzpon "by the die cylinder. Rachi letter is .there accurately timed as to its'relat-ion to fthe printing characters ot'lth'e"d'iecyl-` inder, so that the canceling and post-marks,- printed bythe die cylinder will always'-'beari a uniform relation to the rear end ofltheletter.

V"Ihe retardingdevice or belt j is ormaybej rdtated'bymeans of atbelt 0, running ."froma pulley lo aiiixed Lto the s'haft of Athe roll'b to I a ,pulleyq Yaxedto thea' shaft ro'f the pulley '7o. .I y.do Vnot limitvrnyse'lf tothe elnploymento'f l the belt j asthe'retardin g device, `and majyuse anyother suitable means'to insure'th'ejprolper i engagement'of the .letters with the 'stops Vor projections .on'the carrier c.

u represents aixefd gu-ide or plate, which constitutes lone side of a narrow letter-receiving `t'hroat or passage, the opposite vside of. which is thelbelt or carriera.

I prefer Ato positively `engage 'thebeltorica'ry river c withthe ,pulley-b that gives it mo,tion,` in lorder thattlhere maybe lno possibility `ofi t'hebeltslipping Yand thus throwing v.the projections i out o'f `their proper relation te thei printing characters on the die cylinder. iIhisf positive en gagementm aybeeiectedfby means of kpointed spurs or teeth o on the periphery l o'f the `,cylinder b, the same engaging the ginner surface of 'the belt .or lcarrier c.

A-modication of the retarding d evijce isj shown in Fig. fet, thesameconsisti-ng of a*t`1xed brush, composed of aback z and ibristles'z orf other suitable .brush material, arranged .toi

bear `on the outer sides lo'f-the Yletters Iand adapted 'to exert'su'ficient friction-thereon'tof insure thei-engagementof .theletters-withthe "i stopsfthe brush :being `rigidly attachedto the fra-m'eof-the machine. In this ycase 'the belt or carrier c may be provided at its lower edgewith projections c', adapted to support the lower edge of the letter, as in'the constrnc,t-ionshown fi'n the above-mentioned patent.

1. In Va stamp canceling machine the comlbination ,of acanrier, letter engaging proj ections thereon, and a frictional letter-retarding device whereby a letter deposited on the carzrier mayibe advanced in .a given path, then yieldingly-arrestedor retarded, and then posi- 't'ive'ly moved forward `:in the same path, as set forth.

2. In la stamp-canceling :madhi-ne,a1car1ier acomposed 'of .an inclined Lbelt having iletterengaging 'proj'ectigons, combinedwithLa'letter retardin g zdevice locatedat the lowereedge-of :saidbelt 'and adapted to 'caus'ethe engagement of 'the letters'wit'h 'said proj'e,ct"ions.jand .apprinting device to which the letters arepre- :sented by said carrier, as 's e't forth.

3. In a stamp-:canceling machine, san inclined rletter-carryinjg belt having letter-fen- .-gaging projecti'ons, combined with Ala' letten retar'di'n'g belt lo'ca'tefd atth'e loweriedge of said 'carrying b'el.t,'a printing 'device `toiwh ich the letters 1are presented iby .the carrienzand meansfor fmovling .said carrying and 'retarding beltslin opposite directions, as setfor'th.

4. In "a'stampfcanceling 'machine,the combination '0T a die cylinder, an `inclined carrying fbelt having letter-engaging 'projections each divided into upperjand lower secti'ons ione. located aboveandth'e votherbelcwthe die cylinderfand fa letter-'reminding 'device,=as set i'forth.

5. "Im 'astanlp canceling fmachine ithe 'comibination of 'a carrier, *letter .engaging proj'ecitions "thereon, :a lprinting device Ior die nylinder, means for positively .engaging 'the sai-d printing device or diecylfindergwith `the carerier, a'nd atrictional ilettenretarding device IOC) which iyieldinglyarrests .'or'retards .za letzter nneved'by said carrier-inutil said fletter isfcngaged 'by one ot sa'iillllojegctions,and permits the l'etter-to be `positively movediforward "by ssaidfprojections -wi'thputlateral `chan ge-of .pofsition,as.set forth.

`"In *testimony Vwhereofy I have signed my infame Lto this speciticatiomin 'the presenceof itwosubscribingwitnes/sesfthis 3d Ad'ajy oit Novemben A. D. 1892.

M. JACKSON.

IXO 

